Scintillators are materials that emit flashes or pulses of light when they interact with ionizing radiation such as gamma rays. Plastic scintillators formed from crystalline polystyrene are particularly well suited for radiation detection applications. Crystalline polystyrene is readily melt processible and capable of being extruded into a variety shapes and sizes to meet the spatial requirements of the detector involved.
When crystalline polystyrene scintillators are employed in radiation detection applications, conventional practice is to paint the scintillator white or wrap the exterior surface of the scintillator with a white sheet material such as, for example, TYVEK brand polymeric sheet material. The scintillator is generally painted or wrapped such that the exterior surface has a white coating thereon. The white coating improves that light yield from the scintillator and simplifies the handling of the scintillator by providing a protective exterior surface. The process of painting or wrapping a white coating on the exterior surface of a scintillator is labor intensive, however, thereby increasing the cost to manufacture the scintillator.